My Blood and Bones
by AlbuslovesGellertx3333333
Summary: A.U. Severus loses his humanity, his best friend, and his will to continue schooling. He finds a friend in an unexpected person, and perhaps something more. SS/SB. Slash. For a wonderful girl. Happy Anniversary, lovebug.
1. Chapter 1

Stories had begun to circulate around the ancient school. Everywhere you went the whispers were different; "I heard he fought off six Centaurs at once", "He saved a First Year from the Acromantulas. She was almost eaten!", "I heard he was caught having a ride on the Slytherin Seeker's broom stick." None of these rumors were true, of course: rumors do tend to be false. Only a handful of people knew what had occurred in the Forbidden Forest two weeks ago that left Severus Snape unconscious in the Hospital Wing.

"Just ignore them, Sev," Lily told him as they walked through the crowded halls to History of Magic; every finger pointed to him and groups quickly formed to murmur their suspicions.

"That's sort of difficult," he said sneering as some curious-looking Fourth Year girls giggled at him. "Must be the one about me having a shag with Regulus Black." He cringed slightly at the thought.

"Don't worry about what a bunch of silly Fourth Years think. We know the truth. And so do Professor Dumbledore, Professor Slughorn and Madame Pomfrey." He sighed, nodding his head.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. And it's been a pretty interesting experience. I've learned things about myself that I never knew before. For example, did you know that I once fought off a gang of Hinkypunks with nothing but my bear hands and a serving spoon?" Lily laughed, the quiet chuckle a welcome relief from the hum of lies around him. She tugged hard on his robes.

"Come on, we're gonna be late. Binns will have a fit!" They ran down the corridor, their footsteps echoing in unison until they slipped into the dark classroom.

"Mr. Snape, Ms. Evans, so kind of you to join us today," the ghost Professor said in monotone. The two took their usual seats in the back of the classroom, Lily a bit pink in the face.

"We're sorry, Professor," she said sincerely. "We got caught up in the hallway." He gave them a skeptical look.

"I'm sure you did." A few of the other students snickered. "Please open your books to page forty-six." The ancient text books smelled of mildew and weighed about fifteen pounds as they painstakingly extracted them from their bags.

"Dumbledore wants us to be in his office at seven-thirty tonight," Lily whispered to Severus.

"I'm not letting you do this, Lily," he said offensively. "It's too dangerous!" Lily shook her head as the teacher continued drawling on about fourteenth century witch hunters.

"Sev, I've got to!" she protested. "It's the only way -"

"Listen to me, Lily. I can't let you do this! It's too risky. I won't lose you." His normally paper white face went pink when she smiled.

"I'll be fine, promise. Would I lie to you?" He smiled, shaking his head.

"No, I guess not."

"-which coincidentally lead to the Flame-Freezing Charm, but that's a question for Professor Flitwick."

After dinner, the two made their way up to the Headmaster's office. "Blood pop," Lily said to the enormous gargoyle. It rotated to reveal a spiraling staircase. They knocked twice on the door before it opened to the circular room.

"Ah, Mr. Snape, Miss Evans, right on time." Dumbledore smiled at them from behind his massive desk. A man sat next to him, a nervous smile on his face; he was a bit round, his clothes fitting him rather snug. He wore a silly little hat on his head that covered the patches of blond hair that were still intact.

"Good evening, Headmaster," Lily said. "You wished to see us?"

"I assume that you know why I have asked you here tonight, Miss Evans?" he asked. She nodded. "Then it is crucial that we proceed as soon as we are able."

"Why not tonight?" Dumbledore smiled at her enthusiasm.

"No, Lily," Severus spoke for the first time.

"Mr. Snape, is there something wrong?"

"Yes, there bloody well is!" he fumed. Lily tried to calm him but there was no use. "I am not letting Lily risk her life just so I can continue to live "normally". If anyone has cared to notice, I have never been normal, and now especially, I never will be." The Headmaster nodded.

"I see your point, Mr. Snape."

"Yeah I bet you – wait. You do?"

"Yes, I do. I understand why you have such reservations about Miss Evans going along with this."

"You do?" Lily asked crossing her arms over her chest. Dumbledore smiled.

"Surely Miss Evans you understand your friend wanting to keep you safe. After all, a friend like you comes along once in a life time. You are irreplaceable."

"Exactly, that's why I can't let you do this, Lily!" he implored her to see reason.

"Yes, instead you should allow young Severus to leave the school to acquire what he needs. That is the only way to keep your friendship strong. You do realize of course, that once you leave, Mr. Snape, you would not be able to return?" Severus hung his head.

"No Headmaster. I – I never thought about that." Lily rested her hand on his shoulder.

"Then let me help you." He smirked, putting his arm around her.

"Alright. Let's do it."

"Excellent. So, shall we begin?" Lily nodded. She and Severus followed Dumbledore to his desk where she was seated on a cushioned chair. "I'm not going to lie to you, Miss Evans. This will be an unusually painful process." She gave him a weak nod. "I can temporarily numb the area, but it will hurt quite a bit afterward. Are you sure you want to go through with this?" She looked up at Severus and smiled.

"Positive." Dumbledore nodded.

"Give me your hand." Lily opened her hand allowing the Headmaster to perform a charm over it, rendering it completely numb. "And now." He pointed his wand at her palm, running a long blade through the middle. Beads of blood immediately rushed to the surface and then a sudden rush of redness began to flow from her delicate hand. "Horace, the glass, please." The other professor, with a shaking hand, gave Dumbledore a thing crystal glass. He held Lily's hand over before wringing it like a cloth. As the final drops fell, Severus held on to Lily's shoulders.

"Are you alright? Does it hurt?" She smiled.

"I'm fine, Sev. It doesn't hurt at all." He touched it gently before it was wrapped to staunch any remaining blood.

"Right well, Mr. Snape, you should drink while it is still warm." He handed Severus the glass, Lily urging him to drink. He lifted the glass to his face; it was deep burgundy with an overwhelming metallic scent. A single drop lingered on the rim and curiously, he swept it up with his finger, moving it to his lips. To his surprise it was warm, and the metallic undertones went missing on his tongue: he enjoyed it. Tipping the glass towards Lily, he downed it in one.

"Feeling any better, Sev?" she asked.

"Much."

"Wonderful. Now, we have a second matter to address." The two looked confused for a moment. "I assume, Mr. Snape, that you have noticed some...changes, in your physical appearance lately?" It was true: in the last couple weeks Severus had noticed several differences when he looked in the mirror, he simply thought he was finally growing into his body.

"Yes I have, Sir. It's a side effect, right?"

"It is, though I wouldn't call it a side effect so much as an...advantage." He chuckled to himself, though Severus seemed a bit sour.

"Why is this happening, Headmaster?" Lily asked. He sat back at the desk, gesturing them to take the seats in front of him.

"Since Mr. Snape's accident, his body has gone under a grand transformation. For example," he took Severus' hand, "his fingernails will look like glass." The two looked on in awe, for neither had noticed that Severus' hands, now angelic, possessed glass at the tips. "He will also be very pale." This didn't show much in Severus, though there was a glow to him that hadn't be present before. "Most apparent of all changes will be his eyes." Severus sat back anxiously as they both looked inquiringly into his eyes; Lily gasped when she saw that his normally black eyes were replaced with stunningly luminous dark grey ones.

"Will it ever go back to normal?" she asked.

"The change is permanent, though there is a potion that we can use to hide these side effects from the other students who would undoubtedly notice." He waved over the other teacher who had simply been looking on for most of the meeting. "Professor Slughorn will be brewing your potion each month."

"Professor, you know that Lily and I are more than capable -"

"I have done this before, Mr. Snape," the Professor said. "This potion is extraordinarily tricky to make even for myself, and I have been Potions Master here for many years." Severus narrowed his eyes; he wasn't a child. "There are a few things you'll need to know about the potion, Severus. I'm sure you're quite curious as to what it does." His face remained blank, though beneath his angry exterior he was quite interested. "While you are under the potion's influence you will, as Headmaster Dumbledore has described, experience a sort of cloaking from your natural appearance. It will seem as if nothing at all has changed." Severus nodded. "You will also have a change in appetite. You no longer require the nourishment you did as a human, and will therefore feel a constant thirst. The potion should curb your necessity to feed."

"So while I'm taking this potion, I'll still need Lily's blood." Professor Slughorn nodded. "She'll need to do this for me every month when I take the potion?"

"I am afraid that you will need to feed more often than that, Mr. Snape"

"How often?" he asked looking him square in the eyes.

"Once a week, perhaps? Bi-monthly, but that's stretching it." Severus looked at Lily's balled fist now wrapped in white bandages.

"Every two weeks should be fine."

"If you are positive. The potion has been started already, but needs a few more days to mature. Once it is a nice deep blue it should be ready for you."

"Thank you, Sir." They shook hands, Lily offering him a smile.

"I think it's time you two went off to bed," Dumbledore said. "I will be sending you an owl for another meeting to review your progress, but until then, good luck to you, Mr. Snape. And you as well, Miss Evans."

"Thank you, Sir. Goodnight," Severus said holding the door for Lily.

"Goodnight."


	2. Chapter 2

The next day was difficult for Severus as he adjusted to his new method of feeding. The metallic taste of the red juice still lingered on his tongue, sending him subtle reminders of his new life. Dressing, too, he found to be an easier task; with his hair perpetually soft and clean it was much easier to manage, and now that his posture was, well, present, his clothes seemed much more form-fitting. By the time classes rolled around, however, he did his best to mask these changes.

"Cover me," he whispered to Lily as they made their way into Defense Against the Dark Arts. She did her best to shield him from the other students despite the fact that he was a good head taller than her.

"Sev, no one's going to notice," she told him for the umpteenth time that morning.

"They could, and that's the last thing I need." They moved together to take their seats, Lily still covering his face.

"You can't hide it forever, you know." He sighed, heaving his book from his bag.

"I can with the help of Slughorn's potion. I'll just learn to make it so after school ends I can brew it every month...for the rest of my life." He allowed his head to slump into his hands, his expression now dismayed. Lily put an apologetic arm around him.

"It'll be fine, I promise. We'll make that potion for you and you'll be okay." He smiled nervously; had it been possible his cheeks would have been a bright shade of pink. Just then the Professor entered the room, his long robes billowing behind him. His face was sour, though it seemed as though his mouth was used to this.

"Page two-hundred seventeen," he demanded once he had reached his desk. Students quickly flipped through the pages of their books. Severus gasped when he saw the title of their new chapter. "Who can tell me what happens when a person is turned into a Vampire?" Lily looked to Severus, who was horror struck.

"They're really pale," one girl from the Gryffindor house said raising her hand.

"Yes, any other obvious statements?" the Professor asked; the girl slumped back in her seat.

"Their fingernails look like glass," a Slytherin girl said looking at the now embarrassed Gryffindor girl.

"Very good. Ten points." She smiled at him brightly. "Anyone else?"

"They never get any older," someone else said.

"Correct. Vampires never age."

"They drink blood instead of eating like us normal people," one very pompous Slytherin boy said, not bothering to raise his hand.

"Yes, very good. Fifteen points," the Professor smiled. "Anything else?"

"Their eyes." A Gryffindor boy timidly raised his hand.

"What about them?" the Professor asked arrogantly.

"They almost – glow."

"That they do, Mr. Black. Ten points." Severus lowered his head at this remark; his eyes had become his most distinguishing feature practically over night. "Now, I want you to all begin reading this chapter and have a synopsis by tomorrow, at least one foot. I suggest you begin now." While the other students fumbled idly with the pages of their ancient text books, Severus stared blankly at picture at the beginning of the chapter; it depicted a bat-like creature with a long black cape whose skin's color was almost identical to the paper. His fangs pointed out from his smirking lifeless mouth and he held a goblet full of burgundy liquid in his hand expertly. His eyes bore into you, even through the painted parchment, which startled Severus. Surely someone would notice the similarities between the picture and himself? The thought quickly escaped him as he realized the general I.Q. of his fellow classmates; the only real threat was Sirius Black...


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you kidding me?" Severus fumed as soon as class was dismissed. "There's no way I can stay here now. Everyone's gonna know!" Lily shook her head.

"Come on, Sev," she reasoned, looking around at their classmates. "You think anyone like James Potter is smart enough to figure this out?" The sound of his name must have caught his attention, for at the moment, James Potter came sauntering over.

"Alright there, Evans?" Lily and Severus wore identical scowls.

"What do you want,Potter?" she asked coldly.

"Who cares?" Severus quickly added before he could answer.

"Not so quick, Snivellus," James sang. Severus practically growled; he hated that name. "Before you kill me with your powers of greaseballiness, I'd like to have a word with Evans."

"Whatever you have to say to me you can say in front of him," she insisted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright, fine," he said. "Lily Evans, I would love if you would accompany me on a date Friday night." Severus' stomach began to churn at the silence that followed; she wasn't really considering doing this, was she?

"Not if my life depended on it." Severus sighed in relief.

"Come on, Evans," James began. "Surely there is some way to win your affection? I can be a real gentleman, you know." He advanced on her, taking her hand to kiss it; she quickly retracted it, her face contorting in pain. "What's wrong with your hand?" he asked sincerely. "I haven't hurt you, have I?"

"No, you've done quite enough for today, though," Severus glared at him, taking Lily by the shoulders. A few moments later James ran after them.

"Evans, I feel really terrible. At least let me take you to the hospital wing," he pleaded.

"Can't you take a hint?" Severus asked. "You're obviously not doing her any favors by being here, so why don't you just leave?" James lowered his head some.

"I'll leave you guys alone," he said solemnly. "But first let me kiss your hand and make it better?" Severus growled.

"How many times do I have to -"

"Let him, Sev," Lily said almost smiling. Grudgingly Severus let his guard down, allowing James to meet Lily's bright green eyes. Their connection never broke as he delicately picked up her hand and took it to his lips, leaving a small kiss; her cheeks became noticeably pink. When he turned her hand over, however, he looked immediately to Severus, rage filling her eyes; angry red gashes still remained on Lily's palm.

"What have you done to her?" James asked manically.

"Me? You think that I did that?"

"Both of you relax -" But Lily was out voiced but the tow. By now the rest of James' gang, the Marauders, had arrived at the scene.

"I don't care what gross things you do to yourself while you're alone -"

"Are you suggesting that this is masochistic?" Severus asked half-laughing, yet slightly intrigued.

"I'm just saying, whatever games you're playing, you had better stop!"

"James, I think we should go," one of his friends quietly urged him.

"We've got this, Moony. We can take him, don't worry."

"You've nothing to say, Black?" Severus asked. "Though I'm not entirely surprised. You were always the _mutt_ of the group." Sirius clenched his teeth.

"That's it. You're dead, Snivellus" James lunged for Severus, but Sirius held him back.

"No, allow me." Before he could stop him, Sirius had punched Severus square in his nose. Blood trickled down the front of his face, but where it should have flown out like a river it seemed to have been stopped up by some force.

"You're on," Severus said darkly. As they went into the hall they were followed by loud chants of 'fight!fight!fight!'; with all the people surrounding them, it seemed as if they were in a battle arena.

"Ready, Snape?" Sirius asked.

"You ready, Black?" Sirius smirked, not expecting Severus to jump him, allowing him a chance to brace himself. Fists were thrown, and there was much grunting as the two rolled around on the hard marble. The crowd went wild when Severus' punch caused Sirius to bleed while hovering over his body, dripping small drops of blood onto his face. In one swift movement, Severus flipped himself over so that he was on top of Sirius, practically straddling him, his fingers grasped tightly around his throat. Under the pressure of Severus' glass nails, beads up blood began to rise, trickling down into his collar bone. He watched the liquid move slowly down his white skin, longingly, hungrily; as Sirius' breath quickened he looked into his eyes, sneering. Sirius gasped when he saw the luminous dark grey that was looking down upon him. With an angry force, Severus pushed himself off of him, running off in the opposite direction. Once he had rounded the corridor, he looked down at his hand; it was covered in the sticky remnants of Black's blood. He glared at it for a moment and then, in an instant, brought a single finger to his lips.


	4. Chapter 4

It would be two more days before Professor Slughorn kept Severus after class for a little talk.

"Mr. Snape, thank you for staying after class today. Now -"

"It's ready, isn't it, Sir?"

"You waste no time, do you, m'boy?" Severus laughed, embarrassed.

"No, Sir. I'm simply excited to be rid of this insufferable hair and these horrid eyes." Professor Slughorn chuckled to himself.

"I'm sure it has been quite an ordeal for you, Severus. These changes can be somewhat annoying at first, but you will get used to them in time."

"I'm afraid that the other students will notice, Sir," he confided, hanging his head.

"Not to worry, m'boy. Your potion is ready, and soon no one will be able to tell that anything has changed about you." Severus smiled weakly; to suggest that he was in any way 'normal' was a grave understatement. He watched as Professor Slughorn gave the bubbling cauldron its final stir. The navy liquid fumed with deathly odors: he expected it wouldn't taste much better.

Nevertheless, when he was handed the full goblet, he looked into it, blocked his nose, and drank its contents. When it was empty he set the goblet down, sputtering out the final drops.

"What was in there?" he grimaced, wiping his mouth with his sleeve.

"Just your standard ingredients," Professor Slughorn said emptying the cauldron. "Hellebore, fluxweed, perhaps a bit of human flesh...but no harm done, really." Severus looked as if he were about to fall to the floor.

"Hu-human f-flesh?" he choked, clutching at his own throat.

"Don't feel bad, Severus. It was necessary. You see, there are several things that you can not do in your vampire body that you could do in your human body, such as go out into daylight. With this potion, you are able to go outside when you wish, though I caution you to only remain outside for a few minutes at a time. It could be very dangerous for you otherwise."

"A-and the flesh came from -?" He was sitting down now.

"Inconsequential. You are safe, and that is what matters. Now, best get going. Wouldn't want you to miss all of your lunch period, eh?" Professor Slughorn patted him on the back, sending him up to the Great Hall.

"He gave you what?" Lily yelled, spitting her pumpkin juice across the table.

"And when I asked him where he got it he told me it was "inconsequential"," Severus said rolling his eyes. "The guy's a nutter, Lily. I've been telling you for years."

"He had to have been kidding. Dumbledore -"

"-Obviously knows and has approved of it. He's the one who decided to help me, remember?" The two of them sat in silence for a moment before they were abruptly joined by a rather unwanted guest.

"How's it going, Evans?" James Potter asked sitting down beside Lily.

"She's fine, no thanks to you," Severus snarled.

"It's alright, Sev. And he asked me." James smiled at Severus, who shot him daggers.

"How's your hand? Can I see?" She showed James her hand, wincing when he lightly brushed it with his finger. "May I?" She smiled when he put his face into her palm to place a delicate kiss.

"Feeling any better now?"

"Much," she giggled. "Would you like to join us for lunch? Severus and I were just -" But when he looked back, she found the seat across from her to be empty. "Severus! Severus wait!" she called after him as his robes disappeared around the corridor.

"_That intolerable, arrogant, bastard_!" Severus mumbled to himself as he climbed the marble staircase. "Treats her like a piece of meat and what happens? He gets exactly what he wants." Madame Pince shushed him sourly as he entered the library. He tore past the other students until he found a table in the darkest corner, but to his displeasure, someone already had a few piles of books stacked five high.

"Occupied," said a voice from behind a cover that read "The Complete Works of William Shakespeare".

"Fine, I'll wait until you've finished."

"You'll be waiting an awfully long time," he laughed from behind the book.

"This is a public library, open to all students. As such I -"

"I believe that I am one of those students," he said. Severus sighed.

"Can't you just -" The boy dropped the book into his lap, making Severus gasped.

"Black?" he asked confused.

"Surprised to find me away from the rest of the gang?" he asked, placing the leaflet into his page.

"No, I just wasn't aware that you could read." Sirius sneered. The evidence from their fight was still clear on his face; his eye was blackened and his bottom lip was swollen to three times its normal size. "I didn't bludgeon you too badly the other day, did I?" he asked, feeling a twinge of remorse.

"Nothing a few days of Murtlap Essence and fresh air won't heal," he said sitting back in his chair. "So, what brings you here? Don't you usually spend lunch with the lovely Lily Evans?" He raised his eyebrows a few times.

"Someone more interesting came to join us today," Severus crossed his arms.

"I have a feeling that James has something to do with this." Severus nodded. "Sorry about that. He can be a real git sometimes. But hey, he's my best mate. What are you gonna do?" Severus could think of several things, all ending in his untimely demise.

"Look, Black. I apologize for what happened the other day. I was out of line and should have been able to control my temper. A lot's been going on lately and I haven't been thinking things through -"

"It's okay, Snape. I understand." Sirius looked at him with what was almost a smile. "You can have the table." He gathered his books, putting the one he was reading safely into his bag. "See you later?" Severus nodded, watching as Sirius wove in and out of the students, leaving the library.


	5. Chapter 5

Over the next few days the potion began to truly take its effect; Severus' hair had returned to its greasy state, his nails had faded to a translucent color, and most importantly his eyes were once again the midnight black they had always been. Ironically enough once his body had returned to normal his life was thrown upside down.

Lily sat with James today in Charms; Severus sat alone. At least he did for the first few minutes.

"This seat taken?" A boy asked, pulling the chair out beside him: Sirius Black.

"Does it appear that anyone is sitting there?" Severus replied dryly.

"Trouble in paradise, I take it?" Severus glared at him.

"Whatever makes Lily happy," he said through clenched teeth. "Though Potter isn't much of a catch."

"Oi! That's my best mate you're talking about!" Sirius defended.

"Yes, sorry," Severus said dismissively.

"Trust me I am too, sometimes." Sirius laughed and Severus almost laughed with him. Almost.

"We should pay attention now," he changed the subject. "Some of us still have N.E.W.T.s to worry about."

"Alright Mr. Snape," Sirius said importantly, "I'll let you get back to your studies whilst I draw a picture of Flitwick being fed to the Giant Squid." Severus rolled his eyes.

"I don't understand you Black." Sirius smiled.

"Get to know me better. Doubt it'll do you any good, but its gotta be worth something, hasn't it?"

"I think I'll take my chances with perplexity."

"Ehm," Professor Flitwick coughed from atop his stack of books. "Mr. Black, Mr. Snape, is there something you would like to share with the class?" Severus scowled at Sirius.

"No, Sir," they sang in unison.

"Good, now please would you be so kind as to rejoin the class?"

"Yes, Sir," the droned again.

"Thank you. Now, since the early eighth century..."

Severus and Lily had barely spoken in the days that followed. It seemed that she was spending all of her free time with the Gryffindors, especially Potter. The time that they did spend together she was telling him stories about what she had done with James that day and would run off ten minutes later to meet "the guys". Severus couldn't stand being Lily's 'gal pal' any longer. He had made his decision; if Lily was going to be so buddy-buddy with James Potter, they couldn't be friends anymore. Seeing them together would be too painful for him. Of course this also meant that he would no longer be able to take Lily's blood and with no one else to drink from, would have to leave the school. Consequences aside, Severus began to roam the castle looking for Lily.

After having searched every classroom, the Great Hall, each corridor he knew of, even the dungeons, Severus climbed the seven stair cases to Gryffindor Tower. Breathing the password to the Fat Lady, he crawled through the portrait hole, expecting to find Lily sitting by the fire with a book, as usual. Instead, his heart sank to see her, his Lily, held up against the wall by none other than James Potter who looked to be suffocating her with his lips.

"Excuse me," he calmly interrupted them. The two quickly pulled apart to look up at him.

"Sev, what are you doing up here?" Lily asked flustered.

"Might I ask you the same thing?" he said crossing his arms. James walked over to him, rage in his eyes.

"If you didn't notice, Snivellus, this happens to be the Gryffindor common room. Are you a Gryffindor? No. So why don't you just slither back to your dungeon and leave us alone, alright?" Severus restrained himself from lunging at him.

"I need to speak to Lily," he said darkly. They both looked over to the girl who sat innocently against the wall. "It's sort of personal. Something you wouldn't understand. Mind leaving us alone for a minute?" For a moment, James looked as if he was going to hit Severus, but when Lily came up behind him and put her arms around him, he eased some.

"Let me talk to him for just five minutes, okay? Go wait for me on the couch, love." Grudgingly, James left the two alone, looking behind his back as he walked away to sit on the couch by the fire. Sighing, Lily turned to him. "Sev, what's wrong?" she asked frantically.

"What's -? What the hell kind of question is that?" he asked enraged. "You were just snogging James "toerag" Potter!" Lily gasped, her face contorting angrily.

"So what if I was?"

"So, we've hated him for the last seven years of our lives and suddenly you're sneaking off with him -"

"Sneaking off?" She raised her voice slightly, causing James to turn his head. Calming herself down she continued. "We're not sneaking anywhere. It's called privacy, Severus. I thought you of all people would understand that concept."

"That's why I'm friends with you, Lily," he said putting a hand on her shoulder. "I trust you to keep all of my secrets. But I don't know if I can do that anymore with you off shagging Potter -" Lily threw his hand off of her and pushed him away.

"Some best friend you are!" she yelled; James jumped up, going immediately to her side.

"What's he done?" he asked threateningly.

"Ruined a seven-year friendship!" she said, tears forming in her eyes.

"But Lily, I didn't mean to -" James shoved him away.

"Stay away from her, Snivellus, unless you'd like me to rearrange your face." As James turned his back to take Lily away, he felt a strong force between his shoulders.

"Let go of her!" Severus said nursing his fist. Sitting Lily in an armchair, James looked at him with pure rage in his eyes.

"You've gone too far this time, Snivellus." He began to advance upon him. "I've left you intact all of these years because you were Lily's best friend, but now that things have changed, it's high time you get what's coming to you." James swung at him, though was surprised when his fist caught nothing but air.

"If this is what I have coming to me, then I'd like to know what I did to deserve it," Severus said blandly. James growled, swinging at him again; Severus evade the hit with obscure ease.

"Stand still so I can hit you, you damn greaseball!" he yelled. Severus chuckled to himself.

"You're go about it the wrong way." James saw stars in the split second it took for Severus to thrust his fist in and out of the Gryffindor's nose. Blood poured on to the floor as he yelped in pain. "That is how you hit someone, Potter."

"SEVERUS!" Lily screamed as she helped a staggering James to the floor. "That was completely-"

"Appropriate," he finished for her calmly. "Think about it Lily. If I hadn't hit him he would have done the same thing to me while you sat there and watched." She looked down at the bloody mess that resembled James Potter and frowned when she realized that he was right.

"But Sev, this is different. James is -"

"Your boyfriend?" he asked; his face would have been bright red had it not been for his vampiric glow. "We've been friends since we were eleven years old. You and Potter have been snogging for a week and that grants him priority?" She sighed.

"I was mad at you, Sev. I didn't really want -"

"That is pure gold, Lily," he said manically. "Here I was thinking that you were a true friend, and come to find that you're actually as deep as a puddle." Tears began to prickle the girl's eyes. "I think that it would be best if we weren't friends any longer." The pain in his voice was evident.

"If it will make you happy," she said solemnly. "I'll give you my blood every two weeks and -"

"No, Lily. I don't want your blood." James sat up a little.

"What the hell are you talking about?" he asked; both of his eyes were already blackened.

"It's nothing, James. Don't worry," Lily said quickly.

"No, I have the right to know! What are you doing with Lily's blood and why don't you want it anymore? Is it not good enough for you?"

"Potter, try to stay out of things that are beyond your realm of thinking." James clenched his fists but Lily held him back.

"Severus, if I don't give you my blood, then where else will you get it?" she asked nervously.

"I don't know," he sighed. "I'll just have to move to option B; I'm leaving the school. Tonight." Lily gasped.

"Sev, you can't leave!"

"I have to. As long as you're with – that – I can't take blood from you." She began to cry, tears silently falling from her eyes as Severus went to leave.

"Have a nice trip, Snivellus," James said cheerfully.

"Thank you, Potter," he said climbing through the portrait hole. "It's because of you that I have no problem in doing this." He slammed the portrait shut, earning a few curse words from the Fat Lady. Anger washed through him as he ran down the many stairs to the dungeons. With each step, however, his anger transformed to pain, and by the time he had reached his dorm, his pain had become sadness. Tears slid down from his hooked nose as he gathered whatever clothes he thought he would need and shoved them into a bag. Moving to his bedside he took a framed picture of Lily from the table; she giggled up at him, her green eyes shining through the glass. He shoved it into his bag with his clothes and continued around the room. There was a small knock at the door and just before Severus said 'go away', someone entered.

"May I help you?" he asked with his back turned as he wiped his tears.

"I was going to ask the same question." Severus whipped around.

"What are you doing here, Black?" he scowled.

"Checking on you. I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I don't need to be checked on. I'm not a child. Wait, how did you get in here? You don't know the Slytherin password." Sirius smirked.

"Little brother owed me a favor. Figured this was a good time to cash in."

"I'm sorry to tell you that you've wasted perfectly good blackmail. I don't want to talk to you." Severus continued throwing quills and parchment into his bag while Sirius looked curiously through his belongings.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"None of your concern."

"When will you be back?" Severus chuckled.

"Back? I won't be back."

"But – what about classes, friends?"

"I've outgrown all of the teachers here, and the only real friend I ever had has made it quite evident that I have no place here."

"What about all the other people who care about you?" Severus laughed out loud this time.

"Are you going to be my friend, Black? You think you 'understand' me? You don't know the half of it." He picked up his bag and opened the door to leave.

"I know that you're a vampire." Severus slammed the door shut and threw his bag onto the bed.

"What did you say?" he asked.

"I know that you're a -"

"How did you find out?" He was gripping at Sirius' robes manically.

"The day we fought, you looked into my eyes. There was a glowing quality about them. They entranced me." Sirius fought back the overwhelming urge to move the strand of hair from Severus' face.

"Who else have you told?' Severus asked releasing his grip.

"No one, actually." Severus was stunning; Black was keeping a secret for him?

"What does it matter to you then? I'll be gone by nightfall and you won't have to worry about my going crazy and sucking all of the blood from your body."

"Lily was your donor." It was a statement rather than a suggestion.

"She was, but things have changed and now I will have to find my meals elsewhere." Again he tried to leave and again Sirius stopped him.

"I'll be your donor."

"HA! Why would you do something so selfless for me? There's got to be something in this for you."

"Nothing for me, I just don't want to see you leave." Severus shook his head, smirking. "What, my blood isn't good enough for you?" Sirius looked quickly around the room before running his palm over the fang of one of the serpentine bedposts.

"What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" Severus yelled.

"Tell me you don't want this," Sirius said running his palm under Severus' nose allowing him to take in the scents of the blood.

"Is this reserved for me or are you always this stupid?" Severus asked. His speech was slightly slurred, however, as the want for Sirius' blood took him over.

"Tell me that you don't want my blood, Severus," he said again, rubbing a few drops to his lip. The warm feeling on his lips lost him all of his inhibition.

"You want me to take your blood?" he asked.

"Yes!"

"Alright." Severus grabbed him, shoving him against the wall. Tilting his head to the left, Severus sunk his now prominent fangs into Sirius' neck, drawing pools of blood into his mouth. Sirius yelled, gripping his hands in Severus' black hair until he had finished drinking. When he pulled back, Severus looked into Sirius' eyes with the same shining dark grey as before and then there was nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

Sirius now laid unconscious on Severus' four poster bed. He had caught him as he fainted and was going to bring him to the infirmary when it dawned upon him; how would it look if he were to carry Sirius Black out of his bedroom through the Slytherin common room? Instead he put several powerful locking charms on the door and waited for him to awake.

He looked peaceful laying there, almost innocent, though Severus knew he was anything but. Curled into the fetal position, Sirius resembled a small child. Severus chuckled at the notion. Never in a thousand years would he imagine having Sirius Black in his bed. Pulling up his desk chair, he sat beside him, watching on thoughtfully as his eyes moved behind fluttering lids. What was he dreaming about, Severus wondered? The night had given him a lot to think about. As he looked down upon him, a startling red stain caught his eye. Turning Sirius' head he noticed the two perfect fang marks that graced his pale skin still oozing blood.

Overpowered by his insatiable hunger, Severus cautiously bent his head forward and lapped the blood from his skin. He drew his head back, and was stunned when he saw that the wound was beginning to heal by itself. Skin smoothed over where two deep punctures once were until it looked as if nothing had ever been there. Severus smiled when Sirius turned over, now free of pain. A stray hair fell in front of his face as he moved; Severus couldn't help but reach up and tuck it delicately behind his ear. Just as he did, Sirius stirred, blinking rapidly.

"How's it goin'?" he yawned, stretching all of his muscles.

"You fainted," Severus said plainly; all care had escaped him.

"I'm sorry to have been an inconvenience," Sirius said sitting up. He quickly laid back down, obviously dizzy.

"Lay down, you dolt. You need rest." Concern seemed to have returned to him. "You've lost a lot of blood tonight and it would be best if you weren't moved while it was replenished." Sirius smiled.

"What about your roommates?" Dammit, he was right.

"I'll tell them that I'm deathly ill and they'll go spend the night with their girlfriends. They would never risk their health to sleep in the same room as me."

"I might," Sirius said happily rolling around on the mattress. "Your bed is comfy and a lot bigger than the ones we've got." In spite of himself, Severus smirked.

"That is because while Gryffindors give up every luxury in the name of 'bravery', we Slytherins receive the best because we deserve it." Sirius snorted.

"Yeah, along with a dose of reality and a nice swift kick in the arse."

"Watch yourself, Black," Severus scowled. "You're on Slytherin territory, more specifically my bed. I'd sleep with one eye open if I were you."

"Aww, you actually want to sleep? I thought we'd stay up all night giggling and telling each other secrets." Severus sneered.

"Very cute. Now shut your eyes and shut your mouth before I shut both of them for you permanently."

"Fine, fine," Sirius said pulling his shirt over his head. Severus choked.

"What is that-what are you doing?" Severus asked quickly averting his eyes. Sirius smirked.

"You don't expect me to sleep in my day clothes, do you?" His pants were next to go: muggle jeans that hid green boxers.

"N-no. I guess not." Once his clothes were taken off, he began to situate himself, rolling under the covers in every position until he was finally comfortable with his knees tucked into his ribs with his face in the side table.

"Comfortable?" Severus asked. Sirius nodded. "Sleep." Within five minutes Sirius was tranquilly snoring in Severus' bed once more. Severus himself had begun to nod off in one of his roommate's beds when there was a ruckus at the door, snapping him back into alertness. He jumped up to door handle which was frantically jiggling. 'Open up!" came a yell from the outside. Severus unlocked the door, gently twisting the handle. He opened the door a sliver, being sure not to let in much light: three boys stood outside.

"What's going on in there?" the first boy asked trying to push past him. Severus held the door back with ease.

"Don't come in here!" They looked at him questioningly. "Uh I mean – I'm not feeling very well. It may be contagious. I wouldn't want to endanger any of you so you should probably go sleep down the hall with someone else." The boys nodded at each other, deciding that it was a good enough excuse to sleep with their girlfriends. Just as Severus was closing the door, a long loud snore came from within the room. The boys wore identical smirks.

"Alright, who've you got in there, Snape?" another asked nudging him with a wink.

"I don't know what you're talking about, there's no one -" Another snore, this time accompanied with much rolling around on the mattress.

"What's her name?" Severus searched his mind for a way out of this, but came up blank; when Black woke up, he was dead.

"Her uh – her name. Her name is -"

"Oh Merlin. It's that Evans girl, isn't it?" one spat. Severus tensed at the mention of her name. "Severus, I've told you a hundred times, Mudbloods are no good. You can have any Pure-blooded girl you want. Just say the word." Severus nodded and his friend clapped him on the back. "I'll let you get back to 'entertaining' your guest. Keep my bed clean, alright Snape?" He smiled weakly as he silently closed the door.

"Thank you, Black. Now all of Slytherin will think that I'm shagging Lily." He slapped Sirius forcefully on the back of the head before climbing into his roommate's bed and falling into an uncomfortable slumber.

Severus was walking alone through the forest. The sun was setting over the trees and it was difficult for him to see where he was stepping. Still, he continued deeper into the vegetation; he had to get this root before it was out of its growing season. He pushed branches out of his way, ducking under particularly large limbs until he could no longer see the nose on his face. With a muttering of "_Lumos_" the tip of his wand ignited with a small light, though it was enough for him to see his feet. At last he found a small tree that bore even smaller roots. He began digging with his hands and collecting them in his pockets when he heard a noise from behind.

He stopped moving, stopped breathing, listening intently to whatever was out there. After what seemed an eternity, Severus got up, his pockets full of plants perfect for his newest potion. His wand pointed near the ground, he began his walk back out of the forest; something rustled behind him again. His walk became a jog and his heart beat faster now. More movement was coming from behind him now, and he knew whatever it was was after him.

Severus was running now. His wand light had extinguished making every movement an obstacle. The beast was gaining on him, impeding Severus' steps. When he turned back to look at the monster he tripped over a root protruding from the forest floor. He was on his stomach, his face buried in the brush. His wand was far beyond his reach: it was hopeless. As he closed his eyes he felt the beast lower itself upon him. There was breath against his neck, though it was not warm as it should have been. Severus shook as the beast hovered over him with its ice breath. Positive that these would be his final moments of life, he decided to open his eyes; he wanted to see the face of the beast who took his life.

"SEVERUS!" The Slytherin awoke panting, his fingers tightly wound in the silk bedding. Sirius stood over him worried.

"Black – what's wrong?" he asked lifting himself up.

"I thought I'd ask you. You were screaming like a madman." Severus was confused; he had been screaming? "Are you alright?" He nodded, still unsure of what had happened.

"What time is it?"

"About four A.M," Sirius said. "Rough estimate from the light shining through the lake water."

"Right. Let's get you back up to your dorm before someone sees you in here." Sirius redressed, Severus still looking away. Moments later they were creeping through the Slytherin common room, being sure not to disturb any of the paintings; unlike Gryffindor, the Slytherin portraits were much more chatty. Once they had gotten past Slughorn's office, they ran up to Gryffindor Tower, Sirius lagging slightly behind Severus this time.

"Here's my stop," he said awkwardly. "Thanks for not getting rid of me last night, Snape."

"Yes well, it would have been ill-suited to simply leave you for dead after what you had done for me." Sirius smirked at the attempted compliment. "And, it's Severus. Please - call me Severus."

"Okay," Sirius grinned climbing into the portrait hole. "Night, Sevvy." Severus rolled his eyes; that had not been the agreement on name calling. However, he couldn't help but smile as he walked back down to the dungeons to get ready for classes.

Only a few hours later Sirius and Severus were sitting together in Defense Against the Dark Arts. Sirius dropped his books on the table with a loud thud, slouching in his chair.

"Is there a reason that you feel the need to slump in your seat like some kind of animal?" Severus asked him.

"Secator is gonna kill me," Sirius replied solemnly. "I didn't finish my essay."

"How much did you manage to write?" Severus asked in the most non-sarcastic tone he could muster.

"I had a foot written about the process of becoming a vampire, and was going to finish last night, but I had a change of plans last minute." Severus smiled in spite of himself.

"If he gives you any trouble, I'll handle it for you, Black."

"You're allowed to call me Sirius, you know."

"Alright, then when Professor Secator comes to collect papers, which you seem to be conspicuously lacking, I'll simply tell him that my pal Sirius had his eaten by my pet cat while studying last night." Sirius chuckled, but stopped abruptly when the door was opened by a fierce-looking man.

"Settle down you little delinquents," he said sitting behind his desk. "Well, what are you all waiting for? Essays on your desks now. It was damn good of me to extend this paper." Many students groaned as they extracted their scrolls and placed them on their desks. With a nervous sigh, Sirius placed what he had written on his desk and waited for it to be collected. The Professor whipped his wand around the room sending the scrolls to his desk. He picked up the first few, reading them over and shaking his head in disappointment; Sirius braced himself.

"I have to be honest with you, and it's actually rather funny. In all my years of teaching, never have I seen such evident lack effort. Lupin, you've told me all about vampires and other creatures, but this was not a compare and contrast essay." Remus sunk in his seat. "Black...can you even call this an essay?" Sirius crossed his arms menacingly. 'The only paper worth reading so far has been Severus Snape's, though I don't believe that would be fair for him to write an essay about himself." The other students looked at each other in horror, whispering things that Severus could just barely hear.

"He's a hazard to the school!"

"I bet he'll suck the blood clean out of your veins!"

"Can't believe I shared a room with him for all these years -"

Severus got up, unable to breathe, running from the classroom. Professor Secator showed a hint of a shirk as the door slammed shut. Sirius glared at him, getting out of his seat to find him.

"Mr. Black, where do you think you are going?" he asked.

"I'm going to get my friend."


	7. Chapter 7

Sirius looked down either end of the corridor; Severus couldn't have gotten that far. Footsteps echoed to his right that he followed urgently. Bellowing could be heard from inside an alcove, accompanied by the sound of bone against stone. When Sirius arrived, he found Severus against the wall, struggling to breath. Cautiously he approached him.

"Severus," he began. The Slytherin had his hands pressed against the wall, his face practically molded to the icy stone. Still he seemed to begin to chuckle manically to himself.

"Bastard just couldn't keep to himself." He turned around revealing cheeks stained with drops of deep red.

"Severus, I agree that that was a really shitty thing to do -"

"You know what this means." His interjection was definite.

"It won't come to that, Severus. We can -"

"What? Obliviate everyone in that room?" Sirius backed off. "I supposed if given the choice between that and the security of my condition I would take a classroom of drooling confused idiots; we would hardly notice the difference." Normally Sirius would simply tell Severus it would 'be alright' and somehow, everything would pan out. This time he wasn't sure that a few calming words would be good enough.

"You can't leave, Severus. I won't let you." Severus laughed aloud.

"And you're going to stop me how?" With incredible force, Sirius pushed Severus against the wall, looking intensely into his eyes. His pulse racing, he pressed their faces together, placing a chaste kiss to his lips. When they parted Severus glared at him, released himself from Sirius' weak grip, and stormed down the corridor.

Severus' breaths were pained running down to the dungeons. What had just happened? God, he had no idea how to react to that. He couldn't just kiss back or Sirius might – Sirius. There was no way he would want him now. But, Severus didn't want him to...did he? He loved Lily, he had since he was eleven years old. And now...now what?

After finally getting to his empty dormitory he slammed the door behind him and locked it. Frantically he rummaged through his belongings, few as they were; thankfully he hadn't unpacked from last night. Unfortunately, right on time, a knock came at the door.

"Severus open up," Sirius pleaded. Severus growled.

"Go away, Black," he yelled at the direction of the door as he found the last of his possessions.

"I'm not just going to 'go away.' We need to talk about this. Open the door!" Severus sighed; couldn't that idiot take a hint?

"There's nothing to _talk about_. Now leave me alone to finish packing."

"Severus, open this goddamn door right now or else!"

"Or else what?" Fragments of wood flew everywhere, larger pieces going dangerously close to Severus. Once the dust had settled, Sirius stepped through the newly-made hole where the door once was.

"Will you talk now?" Severus was fuming, his eyes bulging completely out of his skull.

"Black! Are you out of your mind!"

"That's quite possible," Sirius said advancing on him.

"What the bloody hell am I supposed to do without a door? My roommates will -" Severus didn't have time to finish his rant as Sirius preformed a quick body-bind hex on him allowing him to fall to the floor.

"Should have opened your door, Sev," Sirius said shaking his head down at him. "Well, come on then. Off to Dumbledore's office." With another whip of his wand, Sirius had Severus levitating two feet off of the ground. Unable to speak he inwardly cursed Sirius several times over. Sirius carefully maneuvered Severus' body through the shattered door frame being sure not to hit his head on any of the furniture in the Slytherin common room. A few of the students looked up at him and when they saw Severus floating, retrained, in front of him, they gave him a thumbs up, some of them clapping.

"Nice job, Black," one said clapping him on the back. Sirius looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You caught the bloody beast, didn't you? Now we can dispose of him." The boy proceeded to give Severus a swift kick to the head.

"HEY!" Sirius yelled pulling Severus away. "What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm just putting in my two cents. Sorry if you wanted to do it, mate. I'm sure Dumbledore'll let you have the next blow." Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"Then I'll see him straight away." He continued, Severus still levitating in front of him, until they reached the spiralling stairwell. With no alternative, Sirius took Severus over his shoulder and carried him until they reached the First Floor of the school. From there Severus became weightless again under the influence of Sirius' wand that lead him up the seventh floor. Again some students clapped for him and yelled things like 'Way to go, Black!'. Sirius merely sneered, stomping up the stairs, barely missing some of the corners with Severus' head as they climbed. At last they reached the gargoyle entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Caramel," Sirius muttered. The status stood aside allowing Sirius to move Severus onto the stairs that spun them up to the door of the Headmaster's office. Sirius knocked thrice before he was granted entrance. Just as he was about to enter with Severus he noticed someone else, someone very familiar speaking with the Headmaster.

"I've heard what they've been saying, Headmaster, and as much as Severus Snape and I may not be on the same page on most issues, I still believe that he deserves the same courtesies that I was granted." Dumbledore sat at his desk, his hands folded in front of him as he listened to the boy's pleas. After much thought he nodded his head.

"You are absolutely right. I too have heard the accusations from other students, and as you can imagine, letters from parents have already begun to pour in. But I assure you, that we will not let Mr. Snape be sent away due to the nature of his condition. He is still a student, and will be treated with equality." When the boy reached over to shake Dumbledore's hand, Sirius thought it was at last appropriate to take Severus into the room. He walked over the threshold, Severus still levitating in front of him. The boy jumped.

"Mr. Black, I see you have finally made it. And -" he chuckled, "I see you've managed to get Mr. Snape here as well." Though Severus was incapable of speech or movement, the anger in his eyes said everything.

"But Headmaster, how did you -?"

"Call it intuition, Mr. Black. I knew that you of all people would rally for Mr. Snape staying with us." Sirius smiled awkwardly. "Your friend, Mr. Lupin also had many strong opinions on the matter, as I am sure you can understand." He nodded. "I do think, however, that it is time that we let Severus speak for himself? He can't be very comfortable right now." Sirius blushed, undoing the body-bind hex he had placed on Severus, who fell to the floor with a thud.

"You arrogant asshole!" he screamed getting to his feet; the fact that Dumbledore stood mere feet from him meant nothing now. "Who the hell do you think you are, Black? Did no one teach you any bloody manners?" Dumbledore coughed slightly into his hands and Severus finally realized exactly where he was. "Professor, I'm sorry," he said quietly rubbing the back of his neck. "I forgot myself for a moment." The old man smiled.

"It is to be expected, my dear boy. All is forgiven."

"Thank you, Sir. Now if we're done here, may I please go to my dormitory and finish packing my belongings? I would like to be out of the castle before lunch time."

"You're not going anywhere, Sev, I already told you that," Sirius said sternly.

"Luckily, you aren't the one telling me what I am and am not allowed to do. That is up to Dumbledore. Sir?" Severus smirked, waiting for his answer.

"You may not, Mr. Snape."

"What?"

"You will be staying here with the other students until -"

"You can't keep me here!" Severus began to raise his voice frantically. "I'm almost an adult! I can make my own decisions!"

"You are _almost_ an adult, Severus. For now, and until January 9th, you will still be, in the eyes of the law, underage. Therefore, I am still able to make decisions for you." Severus was fuming now; you could practically see smoke emanating from his ears.

"That's not fair!" he screamed, picking objects off of Dumbledore's desk and throwing them around the room.

"Yes, because you're acting so grown up right now!" Sirius yelled back at him.

"Oh, why are you even here, Black? You help me one time and you think we're best friends or something!"

"Why am I here? You know damn well why I'm here, Severus. I care about you!" The room grew silent as its other two occupants began to shuffle awkwardly, making Sirius and Severus realize that they weren't alone.

"So, Mr. Snape. It is clear that you have some things to work out. Why don't you and Mr. Black have a nice chat?" Severus narrowed his eyes: how he hated that old man.

"Please, Sev?" Sirius asked. Severus sighed heavily.

"Fine, but I'm only doing this because I'm obligated, not because I actually want to talk to you, alright?" Sirius nodded. As they two boys began to leave, followed by the third boy, Dumbledore called after them.

"And please, Mr. Snape, when you have a moment, I would like you to have a conversation with Mr. Lupin. I feel that the two of you will have a lot to talk about." Severus rolled his eyes, but found himself nodding anyway.

"Great, now I've got two Marauders to piss me off," he said under his breath as the three of them cascaded down the stairs.

"I heard that, Severus, and for your information you're no ray of sunshine yourself." While the two bickered through the corridor, Remus interjected.

"I think I'll be going back to the common room, now." Sirius stopped walking.

"What? No you have to talk to Severus!" Remus looked at Severus tentatively.

"You first, Sirius. I think that whatever the two of you have to discuss if far more important than whatever Dumbledore wants me to tell him." Severus scowled up against the wall.

"I can hear you, you know. I'm not a child." Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Alright, I'll talk to him. Go tell the guys that I got sick or something. I won't be in class for the rest of the day." With a nod, Remus went off in the opposite direction leaving Sirius and Severus alone. "So..." Severus rolled his eyes.

"Let's just find some place to sit and get this over with." They found a small chamber sectioned off with a bench beside a window that overlooked the courtyard, and being sure that no one else was around, snuck in unseen. Sirius sat down, looking out at the stars.

"They're really quite beautiful. I can name most of them, you know. Oh looks, there's me!"

"Stick to the subject, Black. The sooner this is over the sooner we can get back to hating each other." Sirius stood up, taking to Severus' side.

"But that's the thing. I don't hate you." He took the man's hand and to his amazement, he did not pull back. Sirius sat him down and with their hands still interlocked, he looked into his eyes. "I don't know what Dumbledore wanted me to talk to you about, and I really could care less."

"Oh good, so I can go -"

"No." Sirius held him to his seat with pleading eyes. "You don't have to hear from Dumbledore, but you do have to hear from me. There's something I've wanted to tell you for a long time...well, actually it's just as new to me as it will be to you, and I don't want you to take anything the wrong way because I want us to stay close. Between the two of us, you're a much better conversationalist than James."

"Spit it out, Black. I have work to do, including an apology letter to Professor Secator for leaving class without permission." Sirius sigh.

"What I'm trying to say is...I think that I might have..feelings for you." Severus released his hand from Sirius' and stood up. "Where are you going?" he asked frantically.

"Away from here." Sirius grabbed his wrist.

"Severus please, we need to talk about this."

"Sirius, what don't you understand? Leave me alone!" In a split-second's movement, Sirius pulled Severus close, taking his face in his hands, and pressed their lips together for a second time that day. This time, however, Severus found himself threading his fingers through the other man's hair, pressing their bodies closer still.

"Will you listen now?" Sirius asked as he pulled his head back. Severus laughed, pressing their foreheads together.

"Shut up, Black."

"Shut me up." Severus smirked, pushing him against the wall.

"I think I've caught another one of those nasty twenty-four-hour bugs. Highly contagious. Would you care to see me back to my dorm?"


	8. Chapter 8

Severus decided that sitting with Sirius at breakfast the next morning would be dangerous (he feared he might be hungry for more), so they each sat at their respective house tables, though they could be seen sharing glances here and there. At the Gryffindor table, Sirius hummed to himself over his bowl of cereal. Remus rolled his eyes, but smiled none the less; if his best mate was happy, he was happy. James however looked fierce at the opposite end of the table where he sat with Lily. He and Sirius still hadn't spoken and with a stone-cold silence between them, it didn't seem that they would any time soon.

While the Gryffindors ate their breakfast in an understanding sort of silence, Severus moved an egg around his plate, eyes searching cautiously in every direction. It seemed that everybody had been staring at him, jeering, frightened, waiting. His nerves finally getting the best of him, Severus got up from his seat and walked directly over to the Gryffindor table. Still, he could feel hundreds of eyes watching him as he walked down the long aisle to where his new lover sat. Gingerly he tapped him on the shoulder; to his dismay he looked less than pleased to see him.

"Severus. Hi," he awkwardly spat through a mouthful of cereal. "What are you doing here?" The smiled that had appeared on Severus' face faltered.

"I was hoping that I could spend the morning with you." Sirius frowned, rubbing the back of his neck. Taking Severus' hand he pulled him down to sit beside him.

"I would love nothing more than to spend the morning with you, you know that. But the guys -"

"James, you mean," Severus said standing up.

"What are you saying about me, Snivellus?" In his anger, Severus' deep voice must have carried down the table. James stammered over to them, getting very close to his face; his eyes was still blackened.

"Nothing of consequence, Potter. In fact, I was just leaving." Sirius grabbed for Severus' arm, but James was quicker.

"I think that's an excellent idea Snivelly." He shoved Severus across to the Hufflepuff table. "Half-breeds aren't welcome here." Both Sirius and Remus were up in a shot.

"You don't allow 'half-breeds', huh?" Remus asked obviously hurt. "Thank you for informing me. I'll be sure to sit somewhere else for the rest of the year."

"Moony, I didn't mean you -"

"Just everyone like me. I get it, James, there's no need to explain."

"Moony, you know that I would never -" Sirius put himself between the two, eye-level with James.

"How would you like a fat lip to go along with that black eye, Prongs?" James was taken aback.

"Sirius, you can't tell me that you actually _care_ about this greasy git?"

"Yes actually I do. I care about him very much. In fact, I think that I love him." Severus gasped, eyes welling with tears.

"Do you mean it?" Sirius smiled, taking his hand.

"Yes, Severus. I do mean it. I love you." James let out a roar of laughter.

"Do you believe this, Moony?" he asked. Remus' expression was unchanging as James looked around for any support; every face glared at him in disdain. Placing a deliberate kiss on Severus' cheek, Sirius walked over to stand directly before James once more; a grin played deviously across his face.

"You have a problem with my relationship with Severus?" he asked. James seemed to fall short of words, which was probably why his short response came in the form of a confused laugh.

"Sirius – it's Snivellus Snape."

"Yes I know who it is, I know exactly who it is. In fact I wouldn't be surprised if half of the Slytherins heard me screaming his name last night." Most everyone blanched at this, especially James who looked as if he may vomit.

"Padfoot, if I had known that you were -"

"What James? A poof? A queer? A fag? A flaming homo? Doesn't leave a pleasant taste on the tongue, does it?"

"I beg to differ," Severus interjected causing Sirius to smirk shamelessly.

"I'm sorry if you have a problem with my being with Severus. But I'm not willing to let our relationship be compromised because of your reservations. You're my best mate, and you always will be. You just have some growing up to do." He took Severus' hand once more and walked down the aisle as every head followed. When they were at last before the entire school, Sirius cleared his voice.

"Let it be known that Sirius Black, notorious prankster, stunner on and off the Quidditch pitch, plain damn sexy son of a bitch -" Severus cleared his throat, and Sirius continued, "Yes, let it be known that I Sirius Black am in a completely monogamous relationship with Severus Snape." Most, if not all of the students looked greatly put off, if not by the fact that they were both queers, but because they had no chance to get in on any of the action. "Seeing as none of you have anything else to say, Severus - my lover - and I will be leaving for an encore performance of last night's show." Pulling Severus by the hand, Sirius walked through the crowd of stunned students, head held high. Just when he thought that everything was going perfectly for once in his life, things took a turn for the worst.

"Get that dirty half-breed out of here before he infects one of us." It wasn't quite clear which was over to the boy sooner, Sirius or Remus.

"Tell me that I heard you wrong and I'll think about sparing your life," Sirius growled baring his eyes into the culprit; a smug, fit looking Ravenclaw stood before him, arms crossed, a sneer on his face.

"You heard me quite right, Black," he calmly replied. "It's not fair to keep him in the school simply because you can't resist temptations of the flesh. He could go on a rampage and contaminate the entire student body! That's not a risk I'm willing to take, and neither should you."

"How dare you! You play it out as if Severus were caged like an animal!"

"Not caged, he isn't exactly an 'animal'. He hasn't a tail...unless you know something that I don't." Remus took hold of Sirius' arms as he reached up to strangle the vagrant.

"Why don't you just sit down and finish your breakfast because next time, I may not be there to hold him back." Eyes now bulging out of his head the boy sat down fearing the Gryffindor's attack. "That goes for all of you," he yelled to the thousands of eyes that found them. "If any of you dare say anything to Sirius or Severus, I will personally see to your beating." An eerie silence fell upon them; not even the teachers knew how to respond to what had transpired. Technically neither Sirius nor Remus had touched a hair on anyone's head, so they were in the clear. Sirius even thought that he saw Professor Slughorn smirking as they left the Great Hall in a huff.

"That little BASTARD!" Sirius raged punching his fist into the wall.

"Sirius, it's okay," Severus said running a thumb over what would soon be bruised knuckles. "He was just being an idiot -"

"How could you say that, Sev?" Sirius was on the verge of tears now. "He wasn't 'just being an idiot'. What he was saying about you – he could have gotten you seriously hurt." Severus' face softened as he put his arms around his lover.

"They can't hurt me, Sirius. And as long as I'm here, they can't hurt you, either."

"Sirius," Severus began one evening as they lay by the roaring Gryffindor fire; Severus' eyes sparkled brilliantly in the flames. "Who do you suppose – did this to me?" Sirius needn't ask what he was talking about.

"I'm not sure, love," he replied worriedly sweeping his hand over Severus' forehead. He had been going on about this for weeks. Why it had been him and if there were any way of reversing it. Sirius was beginning to fear for his sanity. It seemed as if he didn't even sleep anymore; they spent nights together, on occasion, but while Sirius slept peacefully he knew that his lover lay restless beside him.

"Will you help me find out who it was?" This was the first time Severus had brought up the possibility of actually trying to uncover who his almost-murderer was. Smiling, Sirius kissed his lover on the forehead and stroked his hair.

"Of course. If it is the last thing I ever do."


	9. Chapter 9

The two spent the next week doing everything in their power to unmask Severus' attacker; retracing his footsteps, searching the site of the assault, even taking time to study the habits of vampires if only to create a scenario in which Severus may have been needed to aid in the beast's blood-lust.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Sirius asked him one evening; they had skipped dinner to go to the dungeons (they needed silence for this). Severus was nervous, naturally, who wouldn't be nervous with an unpracticed teenage male performing complicated magic on his innermost thoughts? Still, he nodded, signaling that he was prepared.

Sitting in the middle of the room, Severus closed his eyes as Sirius pointed his wand at his lover and said, "_Legilimens_!".

_It was dark. The rustling of leaves beneath him told Sirius that he was in the forest behind the school. Something beside him began to run. He followed, watching as Severus panted, ducking under branches and crushing plants with his heavy steps. Severus stopped to catch his breath, and Sirius saw it: the shadow swooping in to take over his fallen lover. Sirius could not look at the horrible sight any longer and was about to leave the memory when he noticed something familiar about the attacker..._

"Was that-?" Sirius began as soon as he had returned to his own mind.

"You know who it is?" Severus implored; he was paler than normal, beads of sweat dripping from his long, greasy hair. Sirius wrapped his arms around him, pressing a kiss to the top of his head.

"It's going to be alright."

Sirius and Severus sat in the back of Potion's class that day. Though Severus was quiet, Sirius paid attention enough for the both of them, being sure to scribble notes to his boyfriend when Slughorn turned to write on the chalkboard. Even when Sirius would take his hand, Severus did little to show he was present, of mind at least.

The class ended and students began to file out. Sirius, however, stayed behind when Severus tugged on his sleeve to go.

"I've got to talk to Slughorn about my grade, you go on without me." Severus looked confused.

"You have an 'Exceeds Expectations' in this class. What could you possibly need to know?" Sirius patted his boyfriend's hand.

"Just go to dinner, Sev. I'll be there soon, I promise." Reluctantly, Severus nodded and made his way up the long, winding stairs from the dungeons to the Great Hall. Slowly Sirius stood up and walked to the front of the classroom where Slughorn was packing up.

"Hello, Mr. Black. Anything I can help you with?"

"Actually, Sir, I was wondering if you could answer a few questions for me."

"About?" Slughorn asked, still shuffling parchment around.

"Vampires, Sir." Slughorn stopped to look at Sirius with a nervous grin.

"Don't you think that is a question to save for Professor Flitwick or Professor Secator?" Sirius narrowed his eyes.

"I feel as though you would have a more...thorough knowledge of the subject, Professor." Slughorn gulped.

"I'm sorry, m'boy? I'm afraid I'm not sure of what you are talking about. Now if you'll excuse me-"

"I think you know exactly what I'm talking about, Sir. And as soon as I leave here, Dumbledore will know, as well." Slughorn smiled, walking around the desk to face the boy.

"How did you discover my little secret, Mr. Black?"

"Nevermind how I found out. I just have one question for you, Professor." Slughorn nodded. "Why did you do it? Why Severus? He wasn't doing you any harm by being there."

"My, Mr. Black, you certainly are informed thoroughly on the situation, aren't you?" Sirius never dropped his toxic gaze. "Your friend was simply at the wrong place at the wrong time. I needed to feed, therefore, I sought out the nearest living creature to be my dinner. It's as simply as that."

"But you knew it was him! You knew it was Severus and you still did it! He was one of your students!"

"It was instinct, Mr. Black. I could not contain my want for blood. Mr. Snape's contribution was a necessary evil." Sirius held himself back, trying to retain his level-head.

"I am going to make sure that you never sacrifice another student for the sake of your appetite." Sirius turned around to leave when suddenly he was faced with a closed and locked door. Slughorn stood behind him, wand in hand.

"You seem to be under the assumption that I was going to just let you go, Mr. Black." Sirius shook the door by the handle, slamming on it and begging for help. "Your efforts are of no use, Sirius. No one is in this part of the dungeons except you and me. Once I make you my dinner and break that pretty neck of yours, it will be only too easy to blame the entire unfortunate event on Mr. Snape. He seems the type, doesn't he? Reclusive, dark, not a soul in the world that cares for him. In the least he will not have anyone to miss him."

"I love him!" Sirius found himself yelling at the top of his lungs. "I love Severus, and I will not let you hurt him."

"You don't have a choice, Mr. Black. You are about to be a three-course meal." Before Sirius had time to blink, Slughorn was at his side, holding him firmly against one of the many desks. His fangs protruded from his mouth as he bent over Sirius' small body. Just as he was about to sink a fang into Sirius' perfect neck, the door slammed open.

"SIRIUS!" Severus yelled, rushing to his lover's side and breaking Slughorn's vice grip.

"You should not have interfered, Mr. Snape," Slughorn said, his eyes glowing in the candlelit dungeon. "Now I will have to destroy the both of you." Sirius was both terrified and stunned beyond the point of reaction; thankfully Severus had a plan and quickly slid his boyfriend under the nearest desk, jumping in front of Slughorn before he could attempt to bite Sirius once more.

"You've been foolish, Severus," he said mockingly. "Now your boyfriend will have to watch as you slowly die in front of him."

"The only one that will die here tonight is you!" Severus yelled and he entangled himself with his professor, using his newly acquired strength to hold him off just long enough to get him against a wall; Severus took one of the many slender candles from the candelabra and watched as Slughorn burned, slow at first, and then became a flame, glowing bright enough to light the entire room and then turned to embers.

Sirius panted as he cautiously removed himself from his hidden position. He ran over to a frightened Severus, awestruck by his own actions. Sirius held him, crying into his shoulder. Severus remained unblinking, stiff, a shell.

"Sev, are you alright?" The boy nodded, turning to put his head into Sirius' chest as tears began to fall. "It's over. He can never hurt anyone again."


	10. Chapter 10

After a night's rest (or rather, tossing and turning while Sirius snored peacefully), the two went back to the dungeons to collect their professor's remains.

"We really have to touch him?" Sirius squirmed at the sight of charred Slughorn.

"In order to be sure that he can never return, we have to scatter the ashes. I was thinking that we do it at the lake. It's dark, deep, and no one will ever want to go out there looking for him." Sirius nodded, disgusted as Severus swept up the ashes into a wooden bucket. Professor in hand, the boys walked up the spiraling staircase, through the enormous doors, and out to the lake. A boat waited for them, and securing the bucket in the middle, they pushed it out so that they could get in. Sirius did most of the rowing; Severus was still in shock that he had murdered his professor and that he had the need to do so in the first place.

When they had reached the deepest part of the lake normally reserved for the Giant Squid, Sirius stopped, rested the oars against the sides of the small boat and picked up the bucket. Severus looked into his eyes for second; the vampiric gleam had returned from missing his potion. Without a second thought, Sirius dumped half of the bucket to one side, and half to the other into the deep black water.

"You said the ashes had to be scattered. I wanted to be extra safe." Severus finally smiled at this, leaning in to kiss Sirius gently, as not to accidentally cut him and begin his hunger all over again.

"You are the perfect boyfriend, you know that?" Sirius blushed.

"Not as perfect as you are. You saved my life. But, how did you-?"

"I can't explain it, really. I just had a feeling that you were in danger. I felt it right here." Severus put Sirius' hand to his chest, directly where his beating heart should have been. Sirius smirked. Out on the lake, in the silence and soft yellow-blue of the rising sun, everything seemed as though it would be alright.

"Sev, what are we going to tell Dumbledore? I think setting your professor on fire may be against school rules."

"I thought you didn't care about breaking school rules? Sirius Black, afraid that he'll get house points deducted for being a naughty boy." Sirius stuck his hand into the water, splashing it on a laughing Severus.

"It's going to be okay, Sev. It's all over now." Severus smiled, kissing the back of the boy's hand.

"No. It's only the beginning."


End file.
